Menu

Ireland's sailing, boating & maritime magazine

Tramore lifeboat
RNLI Lifeboat News From Ireland
Baltimore RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat with the refloated yacht under tow
Both Baltimore RNLI lifeboats were called out on Thursday morning (6 July) to assist a sailor whose yacht ran aground on rocks near Sherkin Island within Baltimore Harbour in West Cork. The volunteer lifeboat crew launched both their all-weather lifeboat…
Aran Islands RNLI’s all-weather lifeboat David Kirkaldy
Aran Islands RNLI responded to two medical evacuations on Wednesday evening (5 July). The volunteer crew of the all-weather Severn class lifeboat David Kirkaldy under coxswain Aonghus Ó hIarnáin were out training just before 7pm when they were requested to…
Castletownbere lifeboat with the 11m yacht they released from a lobster pot
Castletownbere RNLI lifeboat was launched this afternoon (Wednesday, 5 July 2023) to immediately assist two sailors whose yacht got into difficulty off the West Cork Coast. A UK couple had set out in their 11-metre yacht from Sneem in Co…
Kyle Marshall
Bangor RNLI volunteer Kyle Marshall is celebrating 40 years of service with the charity. Growing up in Bangor and spending his teenage years working around the harbour, Kyle always had a connection with the RNLI and the local volunteers. On…
Courtown RNLI Sea Sunday Family Day banner
Courtown RNLI’s fundraising committee is hosting a family fun day this Sunday 9 July on the North Pier in Courtown, Co Wexford. A blessing of the boats and a short ceremony recognising and remembering those who have lost their lives…
Youghal RNLI’s inshore lifeboat
Youghal RNLI’s volunteer crew launched their lifeboat to retrieve a dismounted jet ski yesterday afternoon (Sunday, 2 July) and upon their return, they were diverted to assist with what later transpired to be a false alarm. The alarm was raised…
Clogherhead RNLI Lifeboat with the motorboat that broke its mooring
Clogherhead RNLI volunteers were tasked by the Coast Guard on Saturday, 1 July, to aid a drifting 19 ft. motorboat. The Clogherhead volunteer lifeboat crew were requested to launch their all-weather Shannon class lifeboat at 12.22 pm following a request…
The 12-metre-long sailing yacht is towed to Rosslare Harbour by the RNLI
Rosslare Harbour RNLI lifeboat was tasked by the Coast Guard at 8 45 am on Saturday (July 1) to assist a 12-metre-long sailing yacht that had fouled its propellor half a mile from the Splaugh Buoy. The yacht crew were wearing…
Lough Derg RNLI’s inshore lifeboat en route to the stricken cruiser on Saturday afternoon 1 July
On Saturday afternoon (1 July) Lough Derg RNLI was requested to launch by Valentia Coast Guard following a report from a member of the public of a vessel aground close to Terryglass at the northern end of Lough Derg. The…
Valentia RNLI lifeboat returning from Friday 29 June’s call-out to a fishing boat with a snagged propeller
Three fishermen were brought to safety by Valentia RNLI on Thursday afternoon (29 June) after their nets were caught in the propeller of their 14m fishing boat. At 3.17pm, Valentia Coast Guard requested Valentia RNLI’s volunteer crew to launch their…
Row Hard or Go Home team members Jim Bailey, Derek McMullen (with his son Fionn), Frankie Mohan and Eugene Mohan are pictured with Howth RNLI crew member Killian O’Reilly, coxswain/mechanic Ian Sheridan (with daughter Amelia) and crew member Aidan Murphy
Four members of Ireland’s Row Hard or Go Home team visited Howth RNLI recently to present a cheque for €35,096 to the lifeboat crew. The funds were raised through the teams taking part in the World’s Toughest Row (formerly the…
Wicklow RNLI relief fleet all-weather lifeboat RNLB Ruth and David Arthur
Three fishermen were brought to safety by Wicklow RNLI on Tuesday afternoon (27 June), after their 14-metre vessel got into difficulties ten miles northeast of Wicklow harbour. The RNLI relief fleet all-weather lifeboat RNLB Ruth and David Arthur put to…
Kilmore Quay's all-weather Tamar class lifeboat Killarney pictured alongside at Kilmore Quay with a Coastguard vehicle on the slipway on Saturday afternoon following the first call-out
Kilmore Quay RNLI volunteer crew were called late on Saturday night to assist a yacht with four people on board that had lost power at sea, having also launched in the afternoon to reports of four swimmers in difficulty at…
Wicklow RNLI Inshore and all-weather lifeboats rescue sailors from a capsized yacht where one person was trapped in rigging
Both Wicklow RNLI Inshore and all-weather lifeboats launched this afternoon (Sunday, 25 June) after the Irish Coast Guard received a distress call on Marine VHF Channel 16, reporting an 8-metre racing yacht had capsized during a squall in Wicklow bay,…
Sligo Bay RNLI’s inshore lifeboat crew right one of the capsized dinghies on Thursday evening (22 June). The sailing club reported that conditions on the water changed quickly before the incident
Sligo Bay RNLI’s volunteer crew were requested to launch their inshore lifeboat to reports of sailing dinghies caught in a squall on Thursday evening (22 June). Following reports from an onlooker on the beach at Rosses Point that there appeared…
Enniskillen's new RNLI station on the Killadeas Road
Volunteers at Enniskillen RNLI will host a dual celebration at 2 pm next Saturday, 1 July, when the charity’s new state-of-the-art lifeboat station will be officially opened on Killadeas Road. The charity’s Atlantic 85 class lifeboat, John and Jean Lewis,…

Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) in Ireland Information

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is a charity to save lives at sea in the waters of UK and Ireland. Funded principally by legacies and donations, the RNLI operates a fleet of lifeboats, crewed by volunteers, based at a range of coastal and inland waters stations. Working closely with UK and Ireland Coastguards, RNLI crews are available to launch at short notice to assist people and vessels in difficulties.

RNLI was founded in 1824 and is based in Poole, Dorset. The organisation raised €210m in funds in 2019, spending €200m on lifesaving activities and water safety education. RNLI also provides a beach lifeguard service in the UK and has recently developed an International drowning prevention strategy, partnering with other organisations and governments to make drowning prevention a global priority.

Irish Lifeboat Stations

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland, with an operational base in Swords, Co Dublin. Irish RNLI crews are tasked through a paging system instigated by the Irish Coast Guard which can task a range of rescue resources depending on the nature of the emergency.

Famous Irish Lifeboat Rescues

Irish Lifeboats have participated in many rescues, perhaps the most famous of which was the rescue of the crew of the Daunt Rock lightship off Cork Harbour by the Ballycotton lifeboat in 1936. Spending almost 50 hours at sea, the lifeboat stood by the drifting lightship until the proximity to the Daunt Rock forced the coxswain to get alongside and successfully rescue the lightship's crew.

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895.

FAQs

While the number of callouts to lifeboat stations varies from year to year, Howth Lifeboat station has aggregated more 'shouts' in recent years than other stations, averaging just over 60 a year.

Stations with an offshore lifeboat have a full-time mechanic, while some have a full-time coxswain. However, most lifeboat crews are volunteers.

There are 46 lifeboat stations on the island of Ireland

32 Irish lifeboat crew have been lost in rescue missions, including the 15 crew of the Kingstown (now Dun Laoghaire) lifeboat which capsized while attempting to rescue the crew of the SS Palme on Christmas Eve 1895

In 2019, 8,941 lifeboat launches saved 342 lives across the RNLI fleet.

The Irish fleet is a mixture of inshore and all-weather (offshore) craft. The offshore lifeboats, which range from 17m to 12m in length are either moored afloat, launched down a slipway or are towed into the sea on a trailer and launched. The inshore boats are either rigid or non-rigid inflatables.

The Irish Coast Guard in the Republic of Ireland or the UK Coastguard in Northern Ireland task lifeboats when an emergency call is received, through any of the recognised systems. These include 999/112 phone calls, Mayday/PanPan calls on VHF, a signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon (EPIRB) or distress signals.

The Irish Coast Guard is the government agency responsible for the response to, and co-ordination of, maritime accidents which require search and rescue operations. To carry out their task the Coast Guard calls on their own resources – Coast Guard units manned by volunteers and contracted helicopters, as well as "declared resources" - RNLI lifeboats and crews. While lifeboats conduct the operation, the coordination is provided by the Coast Guard.

A lifeboat coxswain (pronounced cox'n) is the skipper or master of the lifeboat.

RNLI Lifeboat crews are required to follow a particular development plan that covers a pre-agreed range of skills necessary to complete particular tasks. These skills and tasks form part of the competence-based training that is delivered both locally and at the RNLI's Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset

 

While the RNLI is dependent on donations and legacies for funding, they also need volunteer crew and fund-raisers.

© Afloat 2020